Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Name: Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature; 1/2 cup coconut sugar; 1/4 cup agave nectar; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 egg + 1 egg yolk; 1 cup almond flour; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 1/2 cup carrots, shredded; 1 cup walnuts, chopped; 1/2 cup salted butter, room temperature; 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons agave nectar; 3 tablespoons walnuts, chopped (for topping)

March 22, 2018 // 16 Comments »

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You guys are going to love how moist and delicious these Carrot Cake Cupcakes are!! They are perfect for your easter brunch or next get together!

Fact about me: I really love carrot cake. I know, I know. It’s so unexpected. I’m all about chocolate and cookies and rich desserts. How can I like a dessert with a root veggie in it?

I think I had a lot of carrot cake as a child and so there’s something super nostalgic about it for me. Plus, I mean, that cream cheese icing!! Who can say no to that?!

As a kid I used to meticulously eat the cake part. I would hold it upside down, fork between the icing lines, whatever I had to, so that I could save the icing for last. It was especially creepy because as I was doing this weird icing ritual, I’d be singing in my head “Save the Best for Last” by Vanessa Williams (totally just googled who sang that and then listened to it all over again).

Cream cheese icing was my love. And, I was savoring every moment I got to spend with it.

And when my husband ate this cupcake, you know the first thing he commented on? The icing. What is this icing? It’s so creamy and delicious. I know, I said. I know.

So enough chatter, let’s make some Carrot Cake Cupcakes!! They’re perfect for your Easter brunch, or any brunch really! Let’s do it. Whisk together the butter (ghee or coconut oil works too), coconut sugar, agave, vanilla, and eggs.

Add the almond flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Whisk until everything is combined. Fold in the shredded carrot and walnuts. Place liners in your muffin tin.

Use an ice cream scooper to scoop the batter into each muffin tin until they’re almost all full. They don’t expand or rise too much, so feel free to make them pretty full. Bake for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan.

Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack and allow to come to room temperature. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the icing ingredients. Whip them on high until fluffy, about 1 minute. Transfer the icing to a plastic baggie and cut off one corner. Squeeze the bag to ice each cupcake and sprinkle with additional walnuts.

Chill in the fridge for an hour for the icing and cupcakes to set.